Maple Cinnamon Rolls

 

A touch of maple makes these cinnamon rolls just a little different. If you can get your hands on Maple Sugar, replace 1/4 cup of the brown sugar in the filling with maple sugar for an even stronger maple flavor. These cinnamon rolls can be made the night before and the second rising done overnight in the fridge. Then all you have to do the next morning is bake them!

 

 

Dough:

4 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 Cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 Cup Milk

1/3 Cup butter, melted

3 eggs

 

Filling:

1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup

3/4 Cup Brown sugar (or 1/2 Cup brown + 1/4 Cup Maple Sugar)

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Optional: 1/2 Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

 

Maple Cream Icing:

1 1/4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon real maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon maple extract

 

To make the dough:

 

Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

 

Heat the milk in the microwave until warm but not hot (in my microwave, one minute is good if the milk is straight from the fridge). Stir the melted butter into the milk. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Gradually stir the milk into the eggs, beating lightly with a fork to combine.

 

Add the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until well-combined. Turn out onto a well-floured board and knead for about eight minutes, until it feels smooth and elastic and is no longer super-sticky to the touch.  (If you prefer, you can use your KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook attachment for the mixing and kneading. This usually takes less time than doing it by hand, so check it and feel the dough after 5 minutes to see if it is ready.)

 

Place the dough ball in a greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap (but don't create a an air-tight seal with the wrap). Let sit in a warm place for about an hour and fifteen minutes, until it has approximately doubled in bulk.

 

Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured board. Pat it into a rectangle, about 10x14 inches.

 

For the filling:
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Brush the maple syrup onto the dough and then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture over the top, making sure to cover the whole rectangle.

 

 

 

Starting on the wider (longer) side, roll the dough into itself firmly, forming a log:

 

Cut into 12 pieces about 1 inch wide (you may get more depending on long your

log is and how thick you cut your slices):

 

Place your cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 pan. They should be close to each other but not crowded. Usually 12 is all you can fit in a 9x13 pan without crowding. (You can bake any extra pieces in a separate smaller pan.)

 

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise again for another hour to an hour and a half, until they have again doubled.

 

-OR-

 

Put them in the fridge overnight. (If you do this method, be sure to pull them out in the morning before you preheat your oven. They will need 20-30 minutes at room temp before baking.

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

Icing:

Mix together the confectioner's sugar, heavy cream, maple syrup, and maple extract. Stir until all lumps are dissolved.

 

When you pull the cinnamon rolls out of the oven, spread the icing over them while they are still very warm.

 

Serve warm. These are best eaten the same day they are made. If there are any leftover, you can reheat them on half power in the microwave and they will still be reasonably good the next day.

 

Enjoy!